Shops

DOWNHAM MARKET. Laxtons (high class grocers), High Street. Lamson Rapid Wire stystem with at least 4 lines. Now in private hands. Andrew Stevenson

GREAT YARMOUTH. Arnold Bros., King Street. "Messrs Arnold have for some little time had in use a cash railway... The 'line' is about to be extended throughout the new department." Yarmouth Independent, 28 May 1892, p. 3
• "Messrs Arnold's new premises... From this [furniture] department to the main central shop runs a patent American cash carrier." Lowestoft Journal, 9 Jul. 1910, p. 7
• "We have installed the Lamson Pneumatic Tubes for the rapid conveyance of money, receipts and change to and from the Central Cash Station." Yarmouth Independent, 20 Nov. 1920, p. 8

GREAT YARMOUTH. Co-op. "Mother shopped for food around the corner at the Co-op. The cashier sat in a glass booth high above the counters, receiving the shoppers' money from an overhead tramway system and despatching the change and receipt back along the same route." Jann Perry. Different drumer: the life of Kenneth MacMillan. (Faber & Faber, 2010), p.20

GREAT YARMOUTH. Palmers (dept. store), Market Place. "The Lamson pneumatic cash tube is being installed throughout, which ensures a rapid cash service." Eastern Evening News, 10 Jun. 1907, p. 4
• "Palmers' pride and joy was their Pneumatic Tube Cash system, which, it was claimed, enabled customers in those pre-credit days to get their change much quicker. The brochure produced by Palmers to celebrate the seventieth anniversary described the mechanism, worked by a patent suction engine and an electric motor: The cash is inserted in metal carriers, which in turn are put into a brass tube, through which air is being circulated at high presure. Six seconds is sufficient for the carrier to reach the first floor desk from the longest outstation, 250 feet away. The change is then returned by the cashier in another tube, and arrives back, often within twenty seconds of being despatched... The brochure also pictures the cashier on the first floor, sitting at a desk dominated by a pair of upright tubes resembling trombones for the use of giants. She sits calmly, arms folded and hands resting on her lap, waiting for a sale to be registered. How she was able, at busy times, to open arriving tubes, check the bill of sale, put the money safely away, count the change, put it in the tube and send it in the eight seconds which would be available to her to meet the twenty-second target is a mystery. There appears to have been just one operative and one set of tubes to receive and despatch carriers." Chris Armstrong. Anything from a pin to an elephant: tales of Norfolk Retail. (Stroud: Amberley, 2016), pp. 45-46. Includes the photograph of the cash desk.

GREAT YARMOUTH. Plattens (dept. store) Broad Row. Traded from 1889 to 1998. "On the rare occasion when we went to Plattens, I was always intrigued with the overhead systems of canisters and pulleys they used to send the money from the counter to the cashier at the back of the store." Carrier had gone by 1960s. Great Yarmouth Mercury website.

KING'S LYNN. Catleugh (Great Eastern Stores). "R.C. has at last decided .. to introduce the American cash railway system in every department, both upstairs and down." Lynn Advertiser, 19 Jan. 1889, p. 1

KING'S LYNN. Curry (County Stores). "G.W. Hayes, auctioneer & valuer has been favoured with instructions .. to sell by auction .. the valuable fixtures and fittings ... cash railway complete." Lynn Advertiser, 7 Aug. 1925, p. 6

KING'S LYNN. King's Lynn & District Working Men's Co-op. "The fine central building of the Lynn Co-operative Society's main premises in Norfolk-street has been completed... The Sturtevant pneumatic cash transmission system is a notable feature, unique in Lynn if not in Est Anglia... This system will work continuously, the necessary power being provided by a three-horsepower electric motor." Lynn Advertiser, 24 Aug. 1928, p. 5
• Sturtevant pneumatic tube system with 13 stations. (Sturtevant letter of 13/8/29)

KING'S LYNN. J.H. Ladyman & Co., 39-40 High Street. Premises became Littlewoods and now part of Primark. "The Cash Railway was also a source of much amusement to the old dears." Lynn Advertiser, 28 Oct. 1921, p. 1
• "Mike Childerhouse recalls how Ladyman's shop looked and operated prior to alterations made in the 1960s: The money or account sheet would be sent on a Lamson overhead wire and pulley system to the cashier, who sat in a glazed oak kiosk with a four-drawer National cash register. The kiosk was sited next to the central oak staircase." King's Lynn History website
• "What of the new store? Gone is the overhead cash railway - the delight of generations of children." Lynn News & Advertiser, 8 Mar. 1960

KING'S LYNN. Lynn Drapery Emporium (Trenowath Brothers), 108-110 High Street, now the Gazelle Turkish Restaurant. Opened in 1889, burned down 1897 and rebuilt 1898. "It was a general drapers... The downstairs departments were Manchester, Dress Materials, Hosiery and Haberdashery, as well as my father's office and the large cash desk. We had an overhead cash railway with lines to all the downstairs departments - this was a great joy to youthful customers, who were often lifted up to send the cash on its journey." Lynn Advertiser, 14 Mar. 1980, p. 22

NORTH WALSHAM. F.Randell and Co. (ironmongers and agricultural and general engineers). Lease agreement for Gipe Closed Wire Carrier in Norfolk Record Office, BR 87/69

NORWICH. Chapman and Turner. "I remember Chapman and Turner in Norwich in the 50s early 60s had one [pneumatic tube system]." Pat Rich in posting to Historic Photographs on Facebook

NORWICH. Co-op, 58 St Stephen's. "Both departments [grocery and drapery] are fitted up with the 'cash railway." Norwich Mercury, 18 June 1887, p. 3.
• (Not sure if same address.) See NORWICH.Curls below

NORWICH. County and City Supply Stores, 1 Haymarket. "The cash railway. A new line with its several stations now open, and may be inspected without charge at the County and City Supply Stores... Edward Wild, proprietor." Norfolk Chronicle, 25 Sep. 1886, p.4

NORWICH. Curls (dept. store). "In the Westlegate store, also in Jarrolds and Co-op, the cash was transferred to the cashier upstairs by pneumatic tube who would return your receipt and change several minutes later." Norwich Evening News website

NORWICH. Garland and Sons, London Street. "A novel contrivance for facilitating the conveyance of cash and invoices from the assistants at the counters to the cashier has been introduced at the establishment of Messrs. Garland and Sons, London-street. It is known as Lamson's system, and is a great improvement on the old 'cash railway'... Here there are lines of horizontal wires converging at the cashier's desk. Each line is fitted with a powerful spring and a carrier. By simply depressing a lever the spring is released and the carrier is impelled to its destinaton." Norfolk Chronicle, 7 Sep. 1895, p. 7

NORWICH. Frank Price, 72-78 Magdalen Street and 3-13 Botolph Street (not sure which). Cash Carrier. (Linda McAllister)

NORWICH. Jarvis Henry & Sons (dept. store) 55 and 57 St Benedict's Street. Cash Carrier. (Linda McAllister)

NORWICH. Jarrolds. "All the tubes from the store come to the cash desk. This is a glass partitioned part of the cash office. Two or three girls may be working in front of open tills, receiving the cups from the tubes, checking in cash and giving change. Finally the bills are rubber stamped by the assistant showing their particular number." Jarrold Magazine, Christmas 1968
• "RJ [Richard Jarrold] joined the company in 1958... He recalls that a pneumatic tube system was still in place for the handling of cash and change. Chris Armstrong. Anything from a pin to an elephant: tales of Norfolk Retail. (Stroud: Amberley, 2016), p. 85

SHERINGHAM. Co-op. "Sheringham Co-op had dispensed with the separate cash tills on each counter and replaced them with a centralised cashier's position, linked to the counters by a system of overhead cables." Albie's Tales website

STALHAM. ?Hensmans. Yes I remember,one of the shops in Stalham had one , I think it was Hensmans. It was a grocers one side of the shop, and the other side sold wool , material,cotton etc... That would have been 1957." Jean Henry in posting to Facebook